Connecting to workspace/metadata servers through Base SAS

[wmedina]

Hello, 

We recently installed a sas server hosted in a Windows X64_SR12R2, EG is installed in that system but Base SAS 9.4M4 is not. On my local machine I can connect to the server through EG and even though its a great tool I am not a fan of it. 

I have reaserched for several hours on this and have meverly found these topics:

1.https://support.sas.com/documentation/tools/oledb/fsp002.htm - setting up a ADO connection to the IOM  through VB/C# 

2.http://support.sas.com/rnd/itech/doc9/admin_oma/sasserver/startserv/sp_suwin.html 

I followed 2. by creating the meta connection .xml file to the server and testing in base through its cmd line 'metacon' and using the objspawner in the windows cmd line.

I feel like someting is just going through my head. Any help/advice regarding this would be awesome!

Thanks!  

[Patrick]

@wmedina

What are you trying to achieve? Build your own SAS client?

Alternatively to SAS EG you could also use SAS Studio which is a web based client and should be available to you as well.

What you're apparently missing is the SAS Windowing Environment: 
http://support.sas.com/documentation/cdl/en/lrcon/69852/HTML/default/viewer.htm#n1039zk8bk9aton1fmbm...

The windowing environment is still there but you would need direct server access to use it (it's not a client-server architecture). 

[wmedina]

@Patrick

I would like to have the minimalistic functionalities that are in the base sas that I have installed on my local machine without the overbearing features in EG and lag between opening datasets or reading logs, etc. but would like to use the speed and memory/storage of the sas server. 

This is just a preference of mine and this issue can be solved by using EG for my work but if I can use the enviroment found in base sas then I much rather do so.

We don't have SAS CONNECT where it would allow me to use rsubmit on procedures and have it run in the workspace so I am not able to do any of those methods. 

[Patrick]

@wmedina

Not that I believe you will be allowed to but if you could "remote desktop" onto your SAS server then you could still use the "Base SAS" client as it still comes as part of the SAS Foundation.

I've seen in Unix/Linux environment people tunnel the Windows onto their client -  but that's "shaky" at best and nothing I'd recommend trying. 

I believe it's best for you to get used to the available clients. If using EG then it's worth to change some of the configuration option (i.e. to not automatically open SAS tables in the client when you run a program).

[wmedina]

I'll have to agree with you on this. I'd rather use EG than spend hours researching a work around.

[AlanC]

BTW, you do not need SAS/CONNECT.  You need SAS Integration Technologies and Base SAS, that's it. SAS/Studio is a good product so use it if that works. To do the more advanced stuff, combine SAS with other products like Python or C#. 

[SASKiwi]

If you want to connect to a remote SAS workspace server from Base SAS on a PC you can use SAS/CONNECT. This product would have to be installed and licensed on both PC and server though. 

[wmedina]

Yeah I believe that would solve this but we do not have that product

[SASKiwi]

Please bear in mind the SAS Windowing Environment aka Base SAS / SAS Display Manager is a legacy interface that is essentially now being maintained in maintenance mode.

As @Patrickhas already mentioned, I suggest you look at SAS Studio as an alternative to EG:

http://blogs.sas.com/content/sastraining/2017/04/12/whats-your-sas-interface/

IMO trying to build your own connection between Base SAS and Server SAS because you don't have SAS/CONNECT isn't practical. 

[AlanC]

Ok, I am with you on most points but I also like EG a lot. 

If you want to do the super-creative stuff with SAS, buy Chris Hemendinger's book and use that as your basis. He is the best source for this info.

Here is how I approach things when I need something done but I don't need an editor (automated SAS for example). You have to cross the workspace startup time so you want to instantiate that on startup. If you need a number of SAS workspaces running, consider using some of the new .NET queues. Pop them in, pop them out, put back.

I use C# with SAS a lot so that is my code base. Look for any articles I have on it and that should give you some code to work with. Use the SAS IOM examples to do the connection then submit the code and bring it back as an object. The workspace will have everything in its model you need to use.

1. Create a new project in Visual Studio (go with console to start)

2. Add references to the SAS dlls (they are free from SAS)

3. Start a new SAS workspace using example code.

4. Submit your SAS program, get the data from the instantiated workspace.

You can also just read SAS datasets if that is the need using the SAS ODBC connector.

[wmedina]

@AlanC Thanks alot of the tips! I was actually looking at these links when I was doing this research:

1.https://blogs.sas.com/content/sasdummy/2013/03/13/using-powershell-with-sas-workspace/

2.https://blogs.sas.com/content/sasdummy/2013/02/22/using-windows-powershell-to-connect-to-a-sas-metad...

After seeing your repsonse it occured to me that using Integrated Technologies with Base SAS and Python or other laguages can really push the boundaries of data science algorithms, since one would be connecting to a powerful server or even a HPS, if it is included in the SAS server product.

[AlanC]

You want to search for some of the posts I have done as well on C# and integration technologies. Chris is the man but I also have some stuff out there that might simplify things a bit.

Combining these technologies is incredibly powerful and will be more so as we move into the world of Viya.

[Tom]

If you have SAS installed on a server you can still use SAS Display Manager. You just need to get to a server terminal session and launch SAS on the server.  So if your server is Unix/Linux based the use an X windows server and you can can run SAS display manager just like it as worked for the last 15+ years with no problems. If you have a Windows server then use Remote Desktop to open a Windows Desktop on the remote server and launch SAS there. I am sure that similat options are also available for ZOS/ IBM mainframe environments.

But your local IT support might not want to help you with that. Instead you migth ask them to install either SAS/Studio or Jupyter notebooks to allow you to work with SAS in an interactive environment.